The WNBA dropped some exciting news this morning with the announcement of a new team in Portland, Oregon. This expansion will officially bring the WNBA to a total of 15 teams, with two additional franchises planned for 2025 and 2026: the Golden State Valkyries and a Toronto team, respectively.
Portland is no stranger to housing a WNBA franchise. In 2000, the Portland Fire officially joined the WNBA before folding in 2002 after its third season. This will mark the first time the WNBA has returned to a city it previously had left. As the only WNBA team to cease operations without having made the playoffs, Portland is back with a vengeance over 20 years later and will hopefully have some better luck this time around.
“As the WNBA builds on a season of unprecedented growth, bringing a team back to Portland is another important step forward,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement. “Portland has been an epicenter of the women’s sports movement and is home to a passionate community of basketball fans. Pairing this energy with the Bhathal family’s vision of leading top-flight professional sports teams will ensure that we deliver a premier WNBA team to the greater Portland area.”
No official announcement has been made about what the team name will be, but the team is expected to begin play in 2026 at the Moda Center. The Portland franchise will be owned by RAJ Sports, which is also the owner of the NWSL’s Portland Thorns. The WNBA announced Lisa Bhathal Merage will serve as controlling owner and WNBA governor, while Alex Bhathal will serve as alternate governor.
Of course, the WNBA has been experiencing exponential growth over the past several seasons. The league announced that it opened the season with record TV ratings and attendance, and it boasts several exciting young stars such as Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Cameron Brink, Sabrina Ionescu and Aliyah Boston as well as established names like MVP front-runner A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Alyssa Thomas, Napheesa Collier and more. The league also recently inked an 11-year media rights deal which includes Disney/ESPN, NBC Universal and Amazon Prime Video which will see 125 games distributed annually on those platforms.
